Integrated circuit laser devices are manufactured on wafers which are two inches in diameter and about 12-20 mils thick. After initial manufacture, the wafers are thinned to about 3.5-4.5 mils and separated into smaller units, called sections, with four sections being derived from a single wafer. The sections are trimmed in one dimension, which we will call length, to be about 0.4 inches long. They are also scored across their widths to form 20-30 subdivisions, called bars, which are about 12 mils wide and about 0.4 inches long. During subsequent processing, the sections are divided into bars by breaking or cleaving them along the scribe lines, to form facets along their elongated sides, and eventually the bars ar cleaved to form individual chips.
Before the laser bars are separated into the individual chips, the cleaved edges or facets are subjected to a coating process. During coating, a plurality of tray-like spacers, stacked in a nested arrangement, are utilized to retain the laser bars in position. Specifically, each laser bar is supported upon an upper face of a spacer, and the spaces are then stacked and retained together by spring pressure so that each laser bar is captured between its supporting surface and the lower surface of the spacer immediately above. The facets are then subjected to a conventional coating process, during which a portion of the coating and material will typically cause the laser bar to stick to one or more of the capturing faces, at the edge. This interferes with the separation of the stacked spacers and the removal of the laser bars therefrom. Unfortunately, the laser bars are rather delicate, so it is not uncommon for them to be damaged during removal efforts. Thus, the removal of stuck laser bars becomes a time consuming and costly process.
In accordance with the present invention, a slot is formed behind each face of a laser bar spacer of the type having a laser bar supporting face and a lower face for contacting a laser bar therebelow, each slot being generally parallel to the face in front of it and being located near an edge thereof. This produces a thin, flap-like portion at an end of each face. When it is desired to release a stuck laser bar from a face, this flap portion is caused to flex in the direction of the laser bar. The laser bar, being relatively inflexible, will therefore be lifted away from the corresponding face, breaking free thereof. The stacked spacers may then be separated and the laser bars removed therefrom.